ROBERT MORALES on BOXING: HBO dumping Golden Boy low blow for the sport

Boxing is called the sweet science, but there was nothing sweet about HBO declaring Monday it will no longer do business with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions for the foreseeable future.

Ken Hershman, president of HBO Sports, released this statement: "In order to achieve our goal of the best fighters in the most compelling matchups, we've decided to focus our efforts and resources on those strategic relationships where we better share common goals and business philosophies."

Translation: HBO is ticked that the strength of the relationship between Showtime and Golden Boy has resulted in three prominent Golden Boy fighters leaving HBO for Showtime - Amir Khan, Danny Garcia and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. An HBO official who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, said it was more about that kind of unproductive business practice than it was Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently signing with Showtime after having toiled so many years on HBO.

Mayweather is not under contract to Golden Boy, but Golden Boy has promoted his past several bouts and will promote Mayweather's May 4 welterweight title defense against Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view).

Many insiders, however, believe the bolt by Mayweather might have been the last straw.

And, perhaps the writing was on the wall when HBO decided it would not televise a proposed Adrien Broner-Paulie Malignaggi welterweight title fight. Both fight for Golden Boy, and Broner is a rapidly rising star. Certainly, HBO didn't want to invest in that fight, then have Broner go the way of the others and end up at Showtime.

Of course, that's what happened anyway when HBO showed Golden Boy the gate.

HBO wants to showcase stars, not build them into stars only to have them eventually take their talents to Showtime. Heck, it's supposed to be the other way around, right? Fighters start on Showtime and end up on HBO. Perhaps those days are gone.

The thing is this seems to be yet another issue that is going to hurt a sport whose peaks and valleys make it ever vulnerable. First we have to deal with fights not getting made because Golden Boy and rival Top Rank Inc. do not like each other and won't do business unless forced to by a mandatory match.

Now, we have HBO - still the most important television arm in boxing, with Showtime hot on its tail - tossing Golden Boy in the dumpster.

We spoke to one prominent trainer and one prominent manager this week about the situation. We received interestingly different reactions, though we're not totally convinced of the merits of one of them.

Robert Garcia - the 2012 Trainer of the Year as voted by the Boxing Writers Association of America - trains former lightweight champion Brandon Rios, super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire and featherweight champion Mikey Garcia, Robert Garcia's younger brother.

Make no mistake, Robert Garcia is concerned about what this means for his fighters.

"We definitely have to worry about it because there's so many big fights, so many big things that should be happening and we might never see them," Garcia said.

"Right now, I could say, `OK, I have Brandon, I have Mikey, I have Nonito.' Those are all HBO fighters, so I could say, `More dates for us.'

"But then there's also those dates that we might never see against those other guys that are fighting for Showtime. It's sad to see that. But there's nothing I can do about it. It would be Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya working something out, and I don't see that happening, either."

Indeed, if Arum's Top Rank Inc. and Golden Boy began willfully doing business again, this TV situation would not be as dire. What HBO disowning Golden Boy basically does is make that divide even wider.

Manager Frank Espinoza has a stable of fighters that includes super bantamweight champion Abner Mares. Most of Espinoza's fighters are with Golden Boy. Yet Espinoza said he's not concerned those fighters won't be able to fight on HBO unless something changes.

"I think it doesn't really affect me as a manager," said Espinoza, who also manages two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez, who is with Top Rank.

"I have a good relationship with Top Rank and I have talent there that will be exposed on HBO. I have talent with Golden Boy that will be exposed on Showtime. (Golden Boy) has enough shows to showcase my guys. They have Showtime, CBS, Fox Sports, different networks. I think my guys will remain busy."

That response surprised us because Espinoza has been very vocal about his displeasure regarding the ongoing rift between Golden Boy and Top Rank.

Bottom line is, this power play by HBO is going to result in even more good fights not getting made. More than ever, Golden Boy and Top Rank are going to match their own fighters. Golden Boy's bigger fights will be on Showtime, Top Rank's on HBO. Showtime may not say publicly it won't use Top Rank, but the Stephen Espinoza-led sports department there hasn't televised a Top Rank card in over a year.

Oh, by the way, Stephen Espinoza - vice president of Showtime Sports - is a friend of Golden Boy. Used to be its attorney.

Perhaps we should change sweet science to sour politics.

Brandon Rios ready for action in rematch against Mike Alvarado

It was Tuesday, and former lightweight champion and current junior welterweight contender Brandon Rios was playing host to a media workout in preparation for his rematch with Mike Alvarado next Saturday at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (on HBO).

Rios and Alvarado engaged each other in a wicked fight last Oct. 13 at Home Depot Center, Rios coming away with a seventh-round TKO. Reporters talked to Rios about what the return bout with Alvarado might bring. There was also a lot of talk about this past Saturday's welterweight title fight between champion Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov of Russia.

That fight ended up being a lot like Rios-Alvarado I, except that it went all 12 rounds, Bradley coming away with a narrow decision. Rios said he thought the fight should have been scored a draw because a supposed knockdown of Bradley in the first round was ruled a slip.

Rios (31-0-1, 23 KOs) loved the action, however.

"It was a hell of a fight," he said.

Rios said it surprised him that the lighter-hitting Bradley decided to go toe-to-toe with the heavy-handed Provodnikov.

"Yeah, it did," he said. "He came out looking for the knockout. He hurt the Russian a couple of times, but the Russian hurt him a lot. It was one of those fights. I couldn't believe it. It looked like (Provodnikov) barely touched (Bradley) and, `Ooh, aah.' I guess the Russian hits really hard."

These are the kind of fights Rios yearns for. One could say he's a fighter's fighter.

"I love to fight, man," he said.

And fans love to see him fight. Even though he and Bradley are both managed by Cameron Dunkin, Rios and Dunkin said they would have no problem moving up to welterweight to make that fight. But what about a Rios-Provodnikov fight? The way they both crack, that could provide brutality not often seen in the ring.

"I know Brandon, and I know Cameron will try to go a different direction, maybe," said Robert Garcia, Rios' trainer. "But if we're ever forced to do it, Brandon will push to sign the contract because he loves those fights."

Garcia was right. Dunkin may not want to go in Provodnikov's direction.

"Yeah, well, that's a fight that people have already mentioned," Dunkin said. "But there's also other great fights out there for him (Rios) and I need to make him some money. It always comes down to that."

Etc.

Middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will defend his title against Nobuhiro Ishida (24-8-2, 9 KOs) next Saturday from Monte Carlo, Monaco (on Integrated Sports pay-per-view). The hard-hitting Golovkin (25-0, 22 KOs), who is trained by West Covina's Abel Sanchez in Big Bear, will be looking to make his sixth successful title defense. ... Golden Boy Promotions finally found someone for 41-year-old former champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley to fight. Mosley, of Pomona, will take on Mexico's Pablo Cesar Cano on May 18 in Cancun, Mexico (on Fox Deportes). Cano was supposed to fight Manuel Perez a week ago, but Cano pulled out because he said he had the flu. Cano, 25-2-1 with 19 knockouts, is a good fighter. Mosley (46-8-1, 39 KOs) is 0-3-1 in his past four bouts. ... Lightweight champion Adrien Broner was arrested Monday for alleged battery on a security guard who was trying to break up an altercation Broner was involved in outside a Miami nightclub. ... Arthur Abraham (36-3, 28 KOs) will defend his super middleweight belt against Robert Stieglitz (43-3, 24 KOs) at 1 p.m. today from Germany (on Epix, free trial).